For Yarphiel Ghani, a prospective nursing student at Greenfield Community College, math has always been hard. But if the India native of Tibetan descent wants to shift gears in her career from education to health care and bring those skills back home to northern India, where they’re sorely needed, she’s going to need to get through some pre-requisite course work. And that means lots of numbers. Fortunately, the college’s series of academic studios, the first of which was developed by professors within the math department, are designed to give students just like her a fighting chance through peer learning and easy access to the experts who lead their classes.…

For Yarphiel Ghani, a prospective nursing student at Greenfield Community College, math has always been hard. But if the India native of Tibetan descent wants to shift gears in her career from education to health care and bring those skills back home to northern India, where they’re sorely needed, she’s going to need to get through some pre-requisite course work. And that means lots of numbers. Fortunately, the college’s series of academic studios, the first of which was developed by professors within the math department, are designed to give students just like her a fighting chance through peer learning and easy access to the experts who lead their classes.…

Three young men broke down umbrellas and tables at the downtown farmers market here as the wind picked up and late afternoon sky grew dark with fast-moving clouds. “We already got rained on once,” said Joshua Chito. “The farmers and vendors already left. But they’ll be back again next week.” Chito, who served five years in the U.S. Army, is now enrolled at Greenfield Community College. He’s also student manager of the Pioneer Valley’s newest farmers market, held in the alley next to the Franklin Community Coop every Tuesday from 1:30 to 6:30pm. The Greenfield Tuesday Farmers Market draws about ten vendors from around Franklin County, and links the work of three institutions — the community college, the food coop, and CISA, or Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, a Deerfield-based nonprofit which promotes local farms.…

Three young men broke down umbrellas and tables at the downtown farmers market here as the wind picked up and late afternoon sky grew dark with fast-moving clouds. “We already got rained on once,” said Joshua Chito. “The farmers and vendors already left. But they’ll be back again next week.” Chito, who served five years in the U.S. Army, is now enrolled at Greenfield Community College. He’s also student manager of the Pioneer Valley’s newest farmers market, held in the alley next to the Franklin Community Coop every Tuesday from 1:30 to 6:30pm. The Greenfield Tuesday Farmers Market draws about ten vendors from around Franklin County, and links the work of three institutions — the community college, the food coop, and CISA, or Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, a Deerfield-based nonprofit which promotes local farms.…

Senator Elizabeth Warren selected GCC student Carys Lamberg, 20, of Amherst, for a summer internship in her Springfield, MA office. Lamberg is one of six interns chosen from a pool of over 50 applicants from colleges and universities across Massachusetts. She’ll work from June through August with Senator Warren’s staff in Springfield, assisting the team with constituent-needed federal services, conducting research for the legislative staff, and supporting the administrative operations of the office. Lamberg’s training begins on June 6 when she will attend an orientation session in Boston to meet Warren’s entire staff and her fellow summer interns from Springfield and Boston. Lamberg expects to receive her Associate in Arts Social Sciences degree from GCC in December.…

Senator Elizabeth Warren selected GCC student Carys Lamberg, 20, of Amherst, for a summer internship in her Springfield, MA office. Lamberg is one of six interns chosen from a pool of over 50 applicants from colleges and universities across Massachusetts. She’ll work from June through August with Senator Warren’s staff in Springfield, assisting the team with constituent-needed federal services, conducting research for the legislative staff, and supporting the administrative operations of the office. Lamberg’s training begins on June 6 when she will attend an orientation session in Boston to meet Warren’s entire staff and her fellow summer interns from Springfield and Boston. Lamberg expects to receive her Associate in Arts Social Sciences degree from GCC in December.…

At Greenfield Community College, students learn by doing. GCC Political Science Professor Buz Eisenberg knows the best way to teach how a law is made is to have his American Politics follow the process Congress uses. This spring, students in Eisenberg’s two sections of that class considered whether marijuana should be removed from the federal Controlled Substances Act. They considered it exactly as Congress would, including a full-scale debate held in the replica of the U.S. Senate at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston. While this was the fifth time Eisenberg has used a “Mock Congress” exercise with his students, it was the first time they have gone to the recently-opened Institute.…

At Greenfield Community College, students learn by doing. GCC Political Science Professor Buz Eisenberg knows the best way to teach how a law is made is to have his American Politics follow the process Congress uses. This spring, students in Eisenberg’s two sections of that class considered whether marijuana should be removed from the federal Controlled Substances Act. They considered it exactly as Congress would, including a full-scale debate held in the replica of the U.S. Senate at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston. While this was the fifth time Eisenberg has used a “Mock Congress” exercise with his students, it was the first time they have gone to the recently-opened Institute.…

Greenfield Community College students in Buz Eisenberg’s American Civil Liberties course did more than read about Petitions for Clemency, they helped Eisenberg write them. Eisenberg and the students worked on behalf of two federal prisoners who had received multi-decade sentences for low-level, non-violent drug offenses as a result of federal mandatory-minimum sentencing schemes. The college sponsored travel for two students to accompany Eisenberg to Tennessee and Mississippi to interview one client and perform investigative services, and co-counsel Bill Newman sponsored another student to accompany him to Minnesota for the same purpose. Both petitions were completed and submitted in January of 2016. The three students were awarded GCC’s Martin Luther King Awards for their efforts. Because of work done by Eisenberg, his students, and attorney Bill Newman, President Obama has granted clemency to one of the men, who is now out of prison and home with his family.…

Greenfield Community College students in Buz Eisenberg’s American Civil Liberties course did more than read about Petitions for Clemency, they helped Eisenberg write them. Eisenberg and the students worked on behalf of two federal prisoners who had received multi-decade sentences for low-level, non-violent drug offenses as a result of federal mandatory-minimum sentencing schemes. The college sponsored travel for two students to accompany Eisenberg to Tennessee and Mississippi to interview one client and perform investigative services, and co-counsel Bill Newman sponsored another student to accompany him to Minnesota for the same purpose. Both petitions were completed and submitted in January of 2016. The three students were awarded GCC’s Martin Luther King Awards for their efforts. Because of work done by Eisenberg, his students, and attorney Bill Newman, President Obama has granted clemency to one of the men, who is now out of prison and home with his family.…

There’s a reason GCC’s 10-month Practical Nursing (PN) program draws students from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and across western Massachusetts each year. Actually, there are many reasons. Miriam Velardo, 37, of Chicopee Falls, is a student in the PN program because she’s wanted to be a nurse since she was young. She had worked as a CNA, completed an associate’s degree related to medical records, and now it was time to live her dream of being a nurse. She said, “It’s hard, but it is worth it. I love it. It takes a lot of mental effort, but I love helping people. It feels so real. I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve learned in a short time. Help is always available from my classmates and the faculty. Now, I’m excited and want to learn even more.” In the future, Miriam hopes to work toward an RN degree.…

There’s a reason GCC’s 10-month Practical Nursing (PN) program draws students from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and across western Massachusetts each year. Actually, there are many reasons. Miriam Velardo, 37, of Chicopee Falls, is a student in the PN program because she’s wanted to be a nurse since she was young. She had worked as a CNA, completed an associate’s degree related to medical records, and now it was time to live her dream of being a nurse. She said, “It’s hard, but it is worth it. I love it. It takes a lot of mental effort, but I love helping people. It feels so real. I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve learned in a short time. Help is always available from my classmates and the faculty. Now, I’m excited and want to learn even more.” In the future, Miriam hopes to work toward an RN degree.…

]]>Assignment Leads to Two Awards at the Five College Film & Video Festivalhttp://www.gcc.mass.edu/marketing/2016/03/11/assignment-leads-to-2-awards-at-the-five-college-film-video-festival/
Fri, 11 Mar 2016 16:24:33 +0000http://www.gcc.mass.edu/academics/?p=7168When Chelsie Field, 23, of Shelburne Falls, signed up for GCC Art Department Chair Paul Lindale’s Video Foundation course, her goals were to hone her video production skills and to complete the credits needed to finish her bachelor’s degree at the University of Massachusetts. Little did Chelsie know that her film, One Day, created for one of Lindale’s assignments, would win two awards at the 2016 Five College Student Film & Video Festival. The Festival jury presented Chelsie with awards for “Best Narrative Film” and “Best of UMass” at the February 26 Festival screening at the University. Overall, 74 films were submitted to the Festival and One Day was one of 23 chosen to be screened during the festival.…

]]>When Chelsie Field, 23, of Shelburne Falls, signed up for GCC Art Department Chair Paul Lindale’s Video Foundation course, her goals were to hone her video production skills and to complete the credits needed to finish her bachelor’s degree at the University of Massachusetts. Little did Chelsie know that her film, One Day, created for one of Lindale’s assignments, would win two awards at the 2016 Five College Student Film & Video Festival. The Festival jury presented Chelsie with awards for “Best Narrative Film” and “Best of UMass” at the February 26 Festival screening at the University. Overall, 74 films were submitted to the Festival and One Day was one of 23 chosen to be screened during the festival.…

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]]>GCC receives USDA grant to support sustainable agriculture educationhttp://www.gcc.mass.edu/academics/2014/10/15/gcc-receives-usda-grant-to-support-sustainable-agriculture-education/
Wed, 15 Oct 2014 17:28:14 +0000http://www.gcc.mass.edu/academics/?p=5810Thanks to almost $50,000 of funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, Greenfield Community College will develop new courses and professional development workshops in sustainable agriculture. The ENGAGE (Educational Networks for Growing an Agricultural Economy) project will help area high school and GCC students develop sustainable agriculture and leadership skills and pursue further education and employment in agriculture. The grant also provides free professional development workshops for high school teachers so they can bring enhanced sustainable agriculture skills and curriculum components to their classrooms. For the project, GCC is partnering with six area high schools: Smith Vocational School, Franklin County Technical School, Turners Falls High School, Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Greenfield High School, and Four Rivers Charter School. Kyle Bostrom, owner of Bostrom Farm in Greenfield, will teach the new 3-credit Introduction to Sustainable Farming Skills course in summer 2015 to high school students and students in GCC’s Farm and Food Systems program. In summer 2015, Deb Habib, Executive Director of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center in Orange, will develop and deliver a 15-hour professional development points (PDPs) workshop on Sustainable Food Production for high school teachers. The workshop will be held at GCC’s campus, utilizing the permaculture garden, organic vegetable garden, and near zero-net energy greenhouse.…

]]>Thanks to almost $50,000 of funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, Greenfield Community College will develop new courses and professional development workshops in sustainable agriculture. The ENGAGE (Educational Networks for Growing an Agricultural Economy) project will help area high school and GCC students develop sustainable agriculture and leadership skills and pursue further education and employment in agriculture. The grant also provides free professional development workshops for high school teachers so they can bring enhanced sustainable agriculture skills and curriculum components to their classrooms. For the project, GCC is partnering with six area high schools: Smith Vocational School, Franklin County Technical School, Turners Falls High School, Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Greenfield High School, and Four Rivers Charter School. Kyle Bostrom, owner of Bostrom Farm in Greenfield, will teach the new 3-credit Introduction to Sustainable Farming Skills course in summer 2015 to high school students and students in GCC’s Farm and Food Systems program. In summer 2015, Deb Habib, Executive Director of Seeds of Solidarity Education Center in Orange, will develop and deliver a 15-hour professional development points (PDPs) workshop on Sustainable Food Production for high school teachers. The workshop will be held at GCC’s campus, utilizing the permaculture garden, organic vegetable garden, and near zero-net energy greenhouse.…

]]>GCC’s permaculture garden featured in a new short documentaryhttp://www.gcc.mass.edu/academics/2014/08/20/gccs-permaculture-garden-featured-in-a-new-short-documentary/
Wed, 20 Aug 2014 16:13:31 +0000http://www.gcc.mass.edu/academics/?p=5573In 2011, six GCC students inspired by a common vision of a local, sustainable food source began an ambitious project to design, build and maintain a permaculture garden on GCC’s campus. Our new short documentary showcases this on-going living laboratory that has become a centerpiece of our farm and food systems curriculum.

]]>In 2011, six GCC students inspired by a common vision of a local, sustainable food source began an ambitious project to design, build and maintain a permaculture garden on GCC’s campus. Our new short documentary showcases this on-going living laboratory that has become a centerpiece of our farm and food systems curriculum.